Sahara makes BCCI, Srinivasan eat humble pie

The egos have been sated, the appetites are back and there is just one winner here: Sahara. Even though the cricket Board is saying that it has not bent any rules to give Sahara any advantage over the other franchises, it’s clear that Subrato Roy has had the last laugh. The entire episode also showcases that BCCI is powerless in the face of monetary pressure. For starters, in consideration of the exceptional circumstance and the non-availability of Yuvraj Singh, Sahara has offered to obtain the consent of all the franchises to play five foreign players. [caption id=“attachment_216083” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Difficult compromises. Reuters”] [/caption] Now Shah Rukh Khan, who owns Kolkata Knight Riders, played a big part in the negotiations so he wouldn’t have a problem with the proposal. Vijay Mallya, who owns the Bangalore Royal Challengers, is already partners with Sahara in Force One, so he will also readily give his approval. Mumbai Indians, who has five foreign players in the CLT20, are unlikely to say no either. The rest will also fall in place, so Sahara will get their five foreign players and a big advantage too. The re-activation of the Auction Purse of Pune Warriors India means that they can sign a number of players – all at their base price. There will be haggling or no auction to push the price higher and there are tons of good players that were unsold in the auction. Owais Shah (who has had a brilliant T20 season in England and in the BigBash) at base price of $200,000 will be a steal. James Anderson ($300,000) may not be a bad deal either while Marlon Samuels (with his off-spin and batting can be a huge hit too) at $100,000 is a good buy too. Others like Mark Boucher and Darren Bravo will also add to the mix. Sahara won’t be short on options and they’ll get these guys cheap. Sahara has also requested to furnish the Bank Guarantee against the Franchisee fee in two installments. The BCCI will consider it at the next available opportunity but they won’t risk driving a hedge into this new found tentative peace. But perhaps this proposal combined with Sahara seeking a strategic partner in the Pune Warriors India franchise, shows that the group may have some money issues to deal with. By doing this, they will reduce their direct investment in IPL and it could also be in preparation for a case that they have running against them in the Supreme Court . But the biggest victory for Sahara is to make the BCCI see its side of things. The Board had been adamant and even arrogant but they have been forced to bend over backwards and massage the ego of Sahara chief Subrato Roy. The BCCI, on its part, will be hoping that the other sponsors don’t get inspired by Sahara’s show of strength. Many of the companies that sponsor BCCI events believe that the rates are too high and if they decide to protest it as a group, there may be more trouble in the offing. If nothing else, the whole fiasco will serve as a reality check for the BCCI. They will now realise that there is a world beyond their offices at the Wankhede stadium.